Giving Thanks for Our Lady of Mercy, Faith, Family & Parish

OLM School Parent Adam Coutu takes a shot a hole in one for a new car!

Dear Parishioners:

What a great day at our Saints and Scholars Open Golf Tournament last Monday!   We saw one hundred thirty-two golfers play on a beautiful day at Quidnessett Country Club.  It was a fun day of golf in support of our parish school. We thank all our golfers and all our volunteers who helped to make it a great day. The weather was beautiful, and the golfers were in fine form. There were school parents, parishioners, and many friends of OLM on the course. Unfortunately, however, Father Mahoney's foursome didn't win the day! Better luck next year!     

We are grateful to Mrs. Lee Mita, the driving force behind this great day of golf, and support for our budding saints and scholars.  We also wish to publicly thank our many generous sponsors of the tournament, most especially Washington Trust Bank, the Murphy Family of RI Home Loan Investment Bank, and the Rutherford Family of Ocean State Signal.  We are looking forward to the Saints and Scholars Open next September!   The golf tournament was a great kickoff to our celebration of Our Lady of Mercy Feast Week. 

As I write this column, we anticipate a week of Faith and fun for our parish family. A Holy Hour of Mercy, an Act of Mercy, a Solemn Feast Day Mass, and then our always fun Oktoberfest on Friday night. I am hoping and praying for fine weather!     

Of course, none of these events takes place without the tremendous help of our parish volunteers and parish staff.  We thank the many people behind the scenes who generously give their time and talent in service to our parish.  Also, I am grateful to our dedicated parish staff, who always provide their all in service to the parish.       

There is much to celebrate this Feast Week despite the trials and tribulations of the world.  First and foremost, the great gift of our Catholic Faith we share as a parish community.  Where would we be now if we didn't have our Faith to turn to during this awful pandemic?   It wasn't that long ago we were locked in our homes in isolation and fear. 

Thankfully we were able to live-stream Masses, including Holy Week!  Now we can gather in our parish church and as a family of Faith at Mass and social gatherings. So while we mustn't let our guard down in the face of the COVID-19 Virus, with more and more getting vaccinated, we seem to be returning to "normal.”

 What that "normal" is  I am a little uncertain.  In light of all the trials of the pandemic, including sadly the death of our fellow  parishioners due to COVID, perhaps we shouldn't just return to the so-called "normal." Instead, we might try to be more dedicated to living our faith, reaching out to those in need, and proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed.     How often during the pandemic did we say to ourselves things like: "I'll never take things for granted again!"

Yet has the cross of the pandemic produced any spiritual fruits in our lives? Have we changed for the better?   Or have we returned to our "normal" routine? "Normal" with its indifference and apathy, cynicism, and criticisms. Sin and selfishness.   As we reflect on this long Lent of pandemic and see a world that is more divided and hostile than I can remember in my lifetime, perhaps as Catholic disciples, we might try to renew our Faith and live the joy of the Gospel.      

We must not let the world change us into cynical and angry people. After all, there are more than enough of those today. No, let us change the world with joy, hope, and the love of Jesus Christ!  If we do, then this cross of the pandemic can produce fruit aplenty!     

We give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings bestowed upon our parish and in our lives.  After all, we are free to worship our loving God at Mass! Our church is open for daily prayer and, our parish is alive and full of vitality! Our parish school is thriving, and our young people receive the teachings of Jesus Christ. For all these blessings and many more, we give thanks to God! May he continue to bestow his abundant blessings upon us!

I offer sincere thanks to the many parishioners who so generously and sacrificially share their blessing supporting our Annual  Collection.  This generous support of this critical collection is deeply appreciated.    Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats and  Go Sox!

A Celebration of Faith & Fun!

Dear Parishioners:

First, let me offer my thanks in the name of Fr. Ruggeri and the families of St. Patrick’s Parish in Providence, as well as the families served by the East Greenwich Housing Authority, for your generous response to the Backpack Drive.  Your tremendous support of this work of charity was truly overwhelming!  Thank you!  

This week is a week of celebration for our parish family.   It is our Feast Week at OLM!   We are so grateful that we can once again gather together at Mass and socially in celebration of our Parish Patroness, Our Lady of Mercy.   The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy is Friday, Sept. 24, but we begin celebrating on Monday.  Over 100 golfers join us for the Saints and Scholars Open at Quidnessett Country Club for our annual golf tournament.  It will be a fun day of golf and fellowship.  Father Mahoney assures me that he has assembled a foursome that is sure to win the day!    

On Wednesday night, we gather for a Holy Hour of Mercy at 7:00 pm.   Join us in praying the Rosary before the Eucharistic Lord as we call upon our patroness to intercede for our parish and our intentions.  Father Eric Silva, the Associate Pastor at St. Luke Church in Barrington, joins us to offer a reflection on Mary, the Mother of Mercy.  

On Thursday at 6:00 pm in OLM School Field, we gather for an Act of Mercy.  We are assembly “Sacks of Mercy” for the homeless.  It is an event for all parish families to join in as we assemble bags with socks, hygiene items, food, and drink for the homeless at Emmanuel House, our Diocesan Homeless Shelter.  Parishioners of all ages are welcome to do this Act of Mercy. Just show up at 6 pm at the OLM School Field.

On Friday, our Parish Feast Day, we begin with a Solemn Mass in honor of Our Lady of Mercy at 9:00 am.  Bishop Evans, our Auxiliary Bishop, is our celebrant, and Dominican Father James Sullivan, OP, Pastor of St. Pius V Church in Providence, our homilist.  You may remember Fr. Sullivan from the excellent Lenten Mission at OLM he led last spring.     

Our school children are joining us at the Feast Mass, and we invite all parishioners to join with us as we celebrate Our Lady of Mercy, our patroness, and protectress.  We call upon her intercession to guide and protect our parish family during these turbulent times for our world, nation, and state.  May, Our Lady of Mercy, lead us to be ever more faithful, hopeful, joyful, merciful, and loving disciples of her Son.  

On Friday night, we are celebrating the OLM Oktoberfest from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.  Oktoberfest is the annual  two week festival in Munich, Germany, ending on the first Sunday in October. It began as a wedding celebration more than 200 years ago when Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony in 1810. The wedding party lasted for days and then became an annual celebration. We gather to celebrate with German music and food, and beer in the Beer Tent.   It is a fantastic and fun way to celebrate our feast!  So put on your lederhosen and grab a beer stein, and join with fellow parishioners, neighbors, and friends as we celebrate being Our Lady of Mercy Parish!!  

We celebrate Our Lady of Mercy on the last Friday of September with gatherings of faith and fun.  It won’t last for two weeks, but it will be a fun evening to gather together as a parish family. Join us to see old friends and meet new ones.   It is a fitting way to end our Parish Feast and welcome the month of October, a month dedicated to Our Lady!    We have much to celebrate and give thanks for as a parish.  We are grateful for our Catholic faith, our parish family, and the gentle guidance of Our Lady!  So let’s make the most of this week of faith, mercy, and fun too! Plan to join us in prayer and worship,  acting with mercy, and for a fun-filled evening at Oktoberfest in honor of Our Lady!  

I am grateful for your generous support of the Priest’s Retirement Fun Collection this weekend. With your support and prayers, I look forward to collecting a simple pension in twenty years and Fr. Mahoney looks forward to his in forty years!!  So thank you for helping us in the future, we are very grateful!   Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats and  Go Sox! Come celebrate Mercy this Feast Week!!!

Never Forget September 11th

Dear Parishioners:                                 

President George W. Bush consoles a New York City Firefighter in the aftermath of the September 11th Attack.

This weekend we mark the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th attack upon our nation. We remember the tremendous evil that befell our country and profoundly affected so many people. As we remember the dead, let us also pray for those who continue to experience their loss and who yearn for the peace of Jesus Christ.

When we look back to September 11th, 2001, and bring back the overwhelming feelings of abandonment that day and the days soon after, we may very well wonder: "Where was God?" God is not arbitrary. God is not a puppeteer pulling on the strings of life and arbitrarily altering the fates of our loved ones. No, God is love, and we live in a world at times estranged from God through the power of evil and the possibility of sin.

Where was God on September 11th, 2001? He was weeping with us. Just as Jesus suffered the anguish of Calvary and death on the Cross, Jesus was in suffering and pain on September 11th. He was not outside this world managing events and deciding people's fates. Quite simply, on September 11th, Jesus was with us, and He continues to be with us today.

A New York City Firefighter following rescue attempt.

We recall the heroism and honor of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers. When people ran out of harm's way, they ran towards the crisis, risking their own lives to help others. Their unyielding hope in looking for survivors amid tons of dusty rubble and steel showed their true character. The generous outpouring of their service is a sign of light in the darkness. People came together on that day. In fact, we remember where we were on  September 11, 2001, because we were all together.

It is often said that there are no atheists in foxholes. In the days following the attacks of twenty years ago, people went to churches to pray. I remember well that on the Sunday after the attacks, Masses overflowed with people. They were yearning for hope and meaning, peace and consolation. They were looking for a sense of comfort and a word of hope as they prayed for the fallen and the grieving.  

In the Gospel of John, Jesus raises His friend, Lazarus, from the dead. When Jesus arrives in Bethany and finds His friend dead, the Gospel tells us: "And Jesus wept." These three words are a profound sermon on the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th attack, for Jesus wept too on that day. 

  Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote this prayer for his visit to the September 11th Memorial in New York:

"O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain. We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here— the heroic first-responders:  our fire fighters, police officers, and emergency workers, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11th, 2001.   We ask you, in your compassion to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day,  suffer from injuries and illness.  Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.  Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

The September 11th Memorial, New York

  We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Our hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering. God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth. Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events.

Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us,  strengthen us in hope,  and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all. Amen"

Let us remember this solemn and somber anniversary of September 11th. Let us pray for the fallen, the grieving, and for peace. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. God Bless and Protect America! 

Remember the Fallen, Pray & Fast for Peace

Dear Parishioners:

We’ve watched over these last few weeks the events unfolding in Afghanistan. The violence and the attack resulted in the death of thirteen U.S. marines and soldiers and hundreds of innocent Afghanis. It is a sad and tragic loss of life. I watched with great sadness the transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base for the 13 U.S. service members who gave their lives serving our country and saving Americans and Afghan allies. They died in the Kabul airport terrorist attack.  They are heroes, and we commend them to God to receive the reward of their goodness.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial entitled, “The Best of America,” offers a tribute to these young soldiers who “ range in age from 20 to 31, represent a mix of ethnic groups, and hail from the middle-class, patriotic families who always bear the worst burden of war. Their family members say most of them joined the military out of individual purpose and national pride. They are the volunteers who follow orders and man the ramparts no matter the risk or ill-advised war plan.  Their service is also reassuring for showing that millions of young Americans are still willing to sacrifice to defend their country and its principles. We’ll wager that they didn’t wait in the locker room when the national anthem was played. They represent the best of America.”

As all the headlines read this week, “America’s Longest War Has Ended,” we must all pause and pray for all who have died over these last twenty years.  More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and nearly 50,000 Afghan civilians died in the war, with thousands more wounded and permanently injured. In speaking about the situation in Afghanistan, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has called for Catholics to take up prayer and fasting. He said: “I entrust the dead to the mercy of Almighty God and I thank those who are working to help that people so tested, especially the women and children. I appeal to everyone to intensify prayer and practice fasting and penance. Now is the time to do it I’m serious.”    

Perhaps this week, we might all take more time in prayer here in Church before the Eucharistic Lord. Let us pray for the dead and the protection of all our military and those now living under the Taliban who face violence and even death. Our Holy Father has called us not only to more prayer but to take up fasting. It is an ancient and venerable tradition of our faith. Fasting is a powerful and fundamental part of the Christian life. Let us fast this week for such a sacrificial and penitential act is also an act of solidarity with those who still suffer and those who sacrificed their very lives.

St. Pope John Paul II’s Prayer for Peace in the World offers a good beginning of our prayer:

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths toward the future. From famine and war, deliver us. From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us.

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us. From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings laden with the sufferings of whole societies. Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin: individual sin and the “sin of the world,” sin in all its manifestations. 

Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the redemption: the power of merciful love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope. Amen.”

Pray. Fast. Remember the dead. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. God Bless America! Happy Labor Day! 

See You in September!

Dear Parishioners:                                 

We survived last weekend! Henri hit us, no, not our parish organist but the Hurricane and Tropical Storm. While Mass attendance was light on Sunday as many chose to stay safe at home, some brave and hearty souls made it through the wind and rain! We didn’t lose electricity thanks be to God!   There wasn't too much damage to our Church property. However, our planters took a beating and a large tree fell over at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. I am grateful to our crack OLM Maintenance Team who were so vigilant in preparing for the storm and so hardworking in cleaning up afterward. 

School starts this Wednesday at Our Lady of Mercy School! As Benedict XVI reminds us: "A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints." Our excellent faculty begin this week with a Retreat on Monday at the Christian Brothers Center in Narragansett. I am grateful to Father Chris Murphy, Rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, for leading the Retreat. Our OLM School Principal, Mr. Patrick McNabb, and our faculty and staff do an outstanding job, and we are grateful for their dedication. May God Bless them this year.

The last year was a difficult one for both students and faculty due to the pandemic. So please pray for our OLM School administration, faculty, staff, students, and families! May the school year be fruitful, and may they all grow in faith, hope, charity, and wisdom. We are hopeful for another great year for our budding saints and scholars!

We welcome our many new school families to OLM School at the 10:30 am Mass this Sunday. A Welcome Reception follows the Mass, so please stop by and say hello to our new students and their families. We congratulate and thank them for choosing OLM School and sacrificing to ensure a first-class Catholic education for their children.

We also kick off our Annual "See You in September" Raffle this weekend. We sell just 600 tickets for $100 each and give away $10,000 in prizes, including a $5,000 first prize! Out OLM School PTG is selling them after Mass, and they are also available at the Parish Office. The raffle was a great success last year. I hope it is again this year! In the bulletin is a complete calendar of events for our Annual Parish Patronal Feast Week. The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy is Friday, September 24th. We begin with our Annual Saints and Scholars Open Golf Tournament at Quidnesett Country Club. Fr. Mahoney is ready to take first place and eager to take on any challengers! So book your foursome today! A Holy Hour with meditative music is part of our Feast Week. And an Act of Mercy Night as together we prepare food and materials for the hungry and homeless. So please put these  events on your calendar.

On Friday, September 24th, we celebrate the Patronal Feast Day Mass at 9:00 am. Then later on Friday evening we celebrate Oktoberfest. Join us for German beer, food, and music under the tent! We will draw our "See You in September" Raffle winners at the Oktoberfest. Of course, we couldn't have such events last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions on communal activities. We rejoice that can do so this year. It is a perfect opportunity to renew our parish life. The pandemic has caused many to remain isolated from each other and the parish!

Let's strive to make this year's Feast Week a time of renewal of faith and fellowship. Let us strive to reconnect as a parish family with parishioners, friends, and neighbors. In light of Hurricane Henri, I am reminded of a quote by St. Bernard of Clairvaux: "If the hurricanes of temptation rise against you, or you are running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star – call on Mary!" Indeed let us turn to our patroness, and may Our Lady of Mercy intercede for us and guide our parish! 

 I offer my prayers and congratulations to Father Barrow as he is officially installed as Pastor of St. Theresa Church at a special Mass this Sunday celebrated by Bishop Tobin. Please pray for Father Barrow as he officially begins his first pastorate. Ad multos annos, Fr. Barrow!

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! 

"Nothing is far from God"

Dear Parishioners:

In the name of Father Jose Jacob and the Mission Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea, I offer thanks for your generous support of last weekend's Second Collection.  Over $6,000 was donated in support of the Missions.                                                               

Earthquake in Haiti.

Many parishioners have also asked about how to support the people of Haiti.   As you know, a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit that country last week, killing nearly 1300 people, with death toll numbers increasing. The shock leveled homes and other buildings, including several churches leaving thousands without shelter. Countless others are injured, and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

Haiti is a country already susceptible to hurricanes and still recovering from the disastrous earthquake a decade ago. Many in Haiti are already facing widespread hunger due to drought as well as political and economic instability.      If you would like to help, I urge you to support Catholic Relief Services.  They are already in Haiti and helping.  When you donate to CRS, you provide immediate assistance for our Haitian sisters and brothers desperate to survive this devastating situation. Indeed, our prayers and support will make so much difference. To donate to CRS in Haiti, go to their website at crs.org.  

St. Patrick’s Parish on Smith Street in Providence.

We are also beginning our Annual Backpack Drive in support of St. Patrick's Parish in Providence. A list of needed supplies is in this week's bulletin.  These supplies and any financial contributions go directly to help the families in need at St. Patrick's Parish.    If you want to donate financially, write a check payable to OLM with "Backpack Drive" in the memo.  A container is in the vestibule for any donated supplies, or leave them at the OLM Outreach Office at Mercy House.   

I know how helpful this drive is to the people of St. Patrick's struggling to afford basic school supplies.  Sadly due to the pandemic, we could not provide such assistance last year.  Please also know of the thanks and gratitude of my dear classmate Father James Ruggieri, the Pastor of St. Patrick's Church.     

Speaking of schools, the good Dominican Friars of Providence College are coming to OLM this Monday for Confessions.   The PC Friars are now scheduled once a month on Mondays to hear Confessions at OLM.  I am grateful to them for their assistance with the beautiful Sacrament of Mercy! Not to worry, we only asked the kindest and most forgiving Friars to help out!!        

Augustine and Monica, by Gioacchino Assereto (1600 - 1649)

This week we celebrate some noteworthy Saints. In particular, on Friday, the Feast of St. Monica and then her son St. Augustine on Saturday. He was a wayward soul who led a sinful life until his conversion. St. Monica, his pious Catholic mother,  was left to weep and pray for his salvation for more than a decade!    She never ceased praying for his return to the Catholic Faith. After more than 15 years of prayer, Augustine heard St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, preach. He decided to study the Faith and eventually being baptized in 387.  St. Augustine became a priest and then a bishop and is now considered a Doctor of the Church.   

 Like so many Catholics today,  St. Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the Faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile. Not so! Her prayerful perseverance led to the conversion of her son, her mother-in-law, and her husband.  Today, with Google searches, online shopping, text messages, tweets, Amazon Prime, and instant credit, there is little patience for things that take time. Likewise, we want instant answers to our prayers. Instant gratification and immediate answers are a part of our troubled culture.  

Yet the Church offers us the witness of St. Monica, the patroness of troubled parents, as a model of patience and perseverance in prayer.  Her years of prayer finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband, her cantankerous mother-in-law, and her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine. May she intercede for us that we might grow in faith, hope, patience, and perseverance in our prayers! As St. Monica said: "Nothing is far from God."

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!